1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to dispensers. More particularly, the present invention relates to dispensers for pressurized containers used with automobile air conditioning systems.
2. Description of the Related Art
Pressurized containers may be used to add air or liquid, such as refrigerant, to a system (for example, an automobile air conditioning system). If an automobile air conditioning system has developed a leak or in some other way become damaged, the automobile air conditioning system may lose fluid (e.g., refrigerant and lubricant). A pressurized container of fluid may be used to replace the lost fluid or charge fluids to the automobile air conditioning system. If the contents of the pressurized container are under a higher pressure than the automobile air conditioning system""s pressure, the contents of the pressurized container will flow into the automobile air conditioning system if the pressurized container is properly sealed onto the automobile air conditioning system. If the pressurized container is not sealed onto the automobile air conditioning system properly, the contents of the pressurized container and automobile air conditioning system may leak into the atmosphere or not charge properly. In addition, the automobile air conditioning system being charged may lose additional fluid. In many cases, the fluid being replaced may be costly and/or pose environmental hazards. Therefore, fluid leakage may need to be minimized.
A prior art dispenser for dispensing a fluid from a pressurized container into an automobile air conditioning system is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,539,988 (the ""988 Patent). U.S. Pat. No. 6,539,988 titled xe2x80x9cPressurized Container Adapter For Charging Automotive Systemsxe2x80x9d, which was filed Dec. 28, 2001, is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety as though fully and completely set forth herein. The dispenser described in the ""988 Patent uses a xe2x80x9cfreely moveablexe2x80x9d core depressor inside a housing to engage a valve on a pressurized container and a valve on a service port of an automobile air conditioning system as the valve on the pressurized container is moved toward the valve on the service port. The dispenser described in the ""988 Patent generally has a force applied by the user to the container and/or dispenser during the fluid transfer from the pressurized container to the automobile air conditioner. During longer transfers of fluid, the user may experience fatigue. In addition, the core depressor inside the housing is freely moveable which may, in some circumstances, lead to inconsistent contact between the core depressor and the pressurized container valve and system valve. In addition, because of the shape of the O-ring used between the dispenser and the pressurized container, the dispenser may leak due to an inadequate seal. Furthermore, the dispenser described in the ""988 patent does not appear to have a seal to inhibit fluid leakage if the core depressor engages the pressurized container without engaging the service port. The resulting fluid leaked may be costly and/or pose environmental hazards.
In an embodiment, a housing with a hollow interior and a moveable plunger to engage a pressurized container valve and an automobile air conditioning system valve may be used to transfer fluid between a pressurized container and an automobile air conditioning system. As used herein, xe2x80x9cautomobilexe2x80x9d may include cars, trucks, and other vehicles. The housing may have a first housing end and a second housing end to engage the pressurized container valve and the automobile air conditioning system valve, respectively. In certain embodiments, the moveable plunger may have a pressurized container valve engaging end accessible through the first housing end and an automobile air conditioning system valve engaging end accessible through the second housing end. In some embodiments, the first housing end may couple the housing to a pressurized container such that a pressurized container valve on the pressurized container is aligned with the pressurized container valve engaging end of the plunger. In an embodiment, the second housing end may engage an automobile air conditioning system such that an automobile air conditioning system valve is accessible by the automobile air conditioning system valve engaging end of the plunger. In an embodiment, a plunger may engage the automobile air conditioning system valve when a force is applied through the plunger by the pressurized container valve.
In an embodiment, the plunger and housing may include a space between the plunger and the housing to allow a fluid to flow between the plunger and the interior of the housing when the plunger engages the automobile air conditioning system valve and the pressurized container valve. For example, the space may be a longitudinal groove along the length of the plunger. In certain embodiments, the first housing end may have a lip for snapping the housing onto the pressurized container. In addition, a flat washer may be used to provide a seal to inhibit fluid leakage between the first housing end and the pressurized container.
In some embodiments, the plunger may engage the automobile air conditioning system valve when a user pushes the housing against the automobile air conditioning system to depress the plunger against both the automobile air conditioning system valve and the pressurized container valve. In an embodiment, a spring located inside the hollow interior may bias the moveable plunger. The spring may inhibit rotation and bias the moveable plunger forward to form a seal when the moveable plunger is not engaging the automobile air conditioning system.
In some embodiments, a second housing end may couple a housing to an automobile air conditioning system valve using a quick-connect coupling. In some embodiments of the quick-connect coupling, the second housing end may have a bearing moveably disposed in a side of the second housing end. In some embodiments, a portion of the bearing may be inside the interior while another portion of the bearing is outside the housing. An outer sleeve may be slideably mounted to the second housing end such that a portion of the bearing is engageable with an outer sleeve when the outer sleeve is slid over the portion of the housing with the bearing. In some embodiments, when the outer sleeve is slid over the bearing, the bearing may be biased toward the interior of the housing to engage the automobile air conditioning system and couple the second housing end to the automobile air conditioning system. In certain embodiments, the outer sleeve may be biased to an outer position over the bearings by a spring. In an embodiment, the outer sleeve may be moved to an inner position when a force is applied by a user to a ridge on the outer sleeve in a direction opposing the biasing spring. Other quick-connect coupling configurations may also be used. The quick-connect coupling may allow a user to couple the housing to the automobile air conditioning system without having to apply continuous force from the user.